I was born in Australia and arrived in New York City for the first time on a cold winter day in January 1975. I spent my first night at the Commodore Hotel, which straddled Grand Central Station and which was later transformed into the impressive Grand Hyatt. It was Super Bowl Sunday and I watched Franco Harris and the Pittsburgh Steelers win the title.

No.

From those first moments and the thrill of feeling the throbbing energy of such a great city, I loved America. Over the past 41 years I have lived and worked in New York City, Upstate New York, Northern Virginia, North Carolina, Northern and Southern California, Oregon, Hawaii and Las Vegas, NV. I have traveled to and through every state except Minnesota, North Dakota and Alaska. In every place and situation I have been awed by the natural beauty, the remarkable accomplishments of a hard working industrious people whose cities and towns, bridges, highways, factories and farms stood as testimonies to the vision and courage of the pioneers who built them … and most of all, the kindness and fundamental goodness of her people. Like every immigrant before me, America opened a doorway for this young man to create a wonderful life for himself and his family.

Then on a warm summer day in Sacramento, Ca. in July 2010, I confirmed my love for and dedication to this country by becoming a citizen.

Now, I am troubled. I know the fundamental goodness and decency of most Americans remains, but something has insinuated itself into the fabric of American society and it is ever so subtly eroding the very foundation upon which this “City on a Hill” and beacon of light and hope in the world was constructed.

In the most simple terms it is the gradual shift from selflessness to selfishness. From a propensity to self-reliance and service to others we now have a growing emphasis on “rights” and the finely crafted identification as “victims.” We are now subjects in a politically correct universe created by big media and intellectual elites which seek to shame us into submission to policies and agendas which in our hearts most of us feel disturbed by … but are increasingly reluctant to openly oppose. The price of resistance is to be vilified as racist, homophobic, reactionary and lacking in compassion and humanity.

Add to this the deeply-disturbing and grossly under-reported WikiLeaks revelations revealing the duplicity, collusion and absolutely-deceitful behavior at the highest levels of our political, legal, media and security establishments. For someone like me who has always defended the integrity of the USA and its institutions, this is a wake-up call. It strikes my heart and exposes me to the ridicule of those who can now claim that their cynicism toward the USA and their ridicule of my defense of it was indeed justified.

So, here we stand on the eve of a momentous presidential election. The following is my opinion:

Somewhere in the USA, right now, there is a woman whose competence, leadership abilities, integrity and fundamental and uncompromised decency is preparing her to become the first female president of this great country. That woman is NOT Hillary Clinton! Whether man or woman, I think we should all pause and reflect on this point. Do we truly wish to reward such a profoundly flawed woman with such a magnificent achievement?

But, oh, you may say, what about the alternative? Yes, Donald Trump is also an imperfect person….aren’t we all? Nevertheless, for all his shortcomings, his loyal, independent and spirited wife, accomplished and devoted children and the Trump organization’s thousands of employees here in America and throughout the world whose pay checks and the lifestyles they secure for their families suggest that we could do worse. Finally, after decades of incestuous “inside the beltway” politics as usual, there is a genuine outsider beholden to no-one. His often clumsy, but blunt disclosures have exposed the arrogance of the mainstream media, the ruling political elites, both Democrat and Republican. The reaction, or should I say overreaction has shone a spotlight on the disdain with which Hillary Clinton and those inhabiting her closed universe view “ordinary” Americans. The privileged elites in her world secure millions of donor dollars from foreign government interests and fat cat Wall Street executives. They bask in the reflected glow of Hollywood celebrities and perpetuate the cozy lifestyles of countless local political appointees responsible for the disgraceful conditions affecting the lives of millions of disenfranchised black and Hispanic minority communities all over our country.

We need and should be demanding change. Donald Trump has already revealed something of his judgement in the selection of his running mate, Mike Pence, an impressive man of competence and integrity. It’s likely he will look both inside and outside the establishment to fill other key leadership positions in his administration. We deserve and need nothing less. Surely, we cannot imagine that a perpetuation of the present status quo, epitomized by Hillary Clinton and all her hangers on, could usher in the change urgently needed.

Finally, even though we have a civic duty to vote, as we have been reminded by some critics in his own party, we do not necessarily have a moral obligation to do so. So, if you are unable to vote for Donald Trump, please, for goodness sake, withhold your support and refuse to enable a woman who is unworthy of such high office……a person whose “private” lust for power is carefully concealed behind the slick “public” image she wishes so much that we will be deceived by.

‘Victor Jessop is a professional Australian football player (retired), coach, father, and investment advisor who can be reached at vgjessop@yahoo.com.

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